As old as it may seem, money order is still one of the best ways to transfer money. If you've never cashed or bought a money order, you might be asking “How and where do I cash or buy a money order near me?”

Is it safe to mail a money order?

The short answer is yes. Money order is safer to mail than cash or personal check. It doesn't contain banking information that a personal check has.

You will specify who will receive the money order. For a money order to be valid, both the sender and receiver have to sign it.

The money is guaranteed by a third party issuer like Moneygram and Western Union.

In some cases where the money gets lost in transit, all you need to do is go to the issuer and request that the money order is canceled and that a new one is issued.

In most cases, there's no fee in doing this.

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How much does a money order cost?

The cost varies from one place to another. Typically, retail stores charge less, and banks charge more. Some banks do waive fees if you have an account with them.

Since a lot of money order is maxed out at $1,000 (meaning you can only buy up to $1,000 per money order), you would need to get another money order if it's over $1,000 plus the fee you have to pay.

Money Order Near Me? 8 Best, Safe Places To Buy or Cash It

Let's go down the list to see what these “money order near me” places are and where you can go to buy or cash your money order:

1. Banks or credit unions

Most banks offer money ordering services. They also offer FREE money order services for their account holders.

Some of them charge for it and some don't. Just make sure you ask if those services are free or not.

Believe it or not:

If you live near a bank and you don't have an account with it, you can still get or cash your money order for a fee.

If you keep asking yourself the question “What's the best place to get or buy a money order near me?”, the answer is the banks.

Idea to consider:If your bank charges you any kind of fee for even some of the weirdest reasons, consider CIT Bank. It pays over 2.45% on interest on your deposits plus it offers a lot of benefits and free services. For me, it's a double win.

Bank of America fees:

Up to $1,000 money order: $5.00

Limit: $1,000

BB&T fees:

Free under $50; $8 for money orders over $50

Limit not specified

Capital One fees:

None for money orders under $100; $7 for money orders over $100

Limit not specified

Citibank fees:

Free for Citibank-issued money orders

Limit: $5,000

Wells Fargo fees:

Up to $1,000 money order: $5.00

Limit: $1,000

2. Walmart

If you've been to Walmart recently, you'll find that it either has a small kiosk or an area for check cashing. This is where you can buy or cash your money order.

Almost every Walmart has a checking cashing area. By the way, Walmart has over 3,000 locations in the U.S. alone. That means it has over 3,000 check cashing locations.

Here’s some information about the money-related service it offers.

Walmart charges 70 cents per order

Maximum limit per money order is $1,000 <— No exception on this

Just because it offers this service doesn't mean you can cash any type of money order.

You can only cash it at Walmart if that money order was purchased at Walmart.

3. Grocery stores

The most unlikely place to buy or cash a money order near you is a grocery store, but it does offer money order services.

Say what?

Yes. A lot of grocery stores will sell you or cash your money orders. You might even save money on groceries when you buy money orders from them.

Not all grocery stores will cash them. One way to check out if the stores near you is to use thesegrocery store apps as these apps will provide you that information without you having to search over the internet for that information.

If those orders are issued not by a bank but by Moneygram or Western Union, it's best to the websites of these companies to see which grocery stores you can cash those.

Some of these stores include the following. Remember that these stores DON'T CASH but they sell those:

Other questions that answer the question

“Where's the money order near me?”

When should I use a money order?

While we now live in an almost cashless world where cash and personal checks aren't the primary means to pay somebody, there are situations that we may need to go back to the basic, which includes using a money order.

There are risks associated with using cash and personal checks.

Here are some situations or examples where a money order is the best way to go:

Sending money securely. Money orders don't include bank account information. It's as good as cash but it can be reissued if it gets lost. That can't be said for cash.

Not getting worried about bouncing a check. Money orders are prepaid, which means they're guaranteed for sufficient funds.

Not having a checking account. Not all people have checking accounts, but people have access to the post office, retail stores, and pharmacy stores. They could go to these places to buy money orders to pay their bills and pay other people.

How can I buy a money order?

Since money orders are guaranteed by the issuers, these issuers will require you to pay via a debit card.

No issuers will issue you a money order if you wish to use a personal check.

Why not?

It's because they are not certain if you have money in the account or if the check clears once it hits your bank account.

How about a credit card?

They most likely won't accept it either because a credit card is a debt, and they won't issue you a money order if it's a debt instrument.

That said, some credit cards or money order issuers will allow you to get a money order, but this transaction will be considered as a cash advance on your credit card.

In this case, a different set of fee – typically higher fees – will be charged to you.

How do I cash a money order?

Cashing a money order is simple and straightforward. All you need to do are:

Present a picture ID

Sign at the back of the money order

Request cash payment or deposit to an account

What if the money order gets lost?

In cases where a money order is lost or stolen, make sure the person who gave you the money order has the receipt.

This way, that person can cancel the money order and issue another one.

There's a process that the issuers follow to check if the money order has been cashed. So, it's always best to have that receipt, which contains the serial number, so the issue can trace the money order.

If it hasn't been cashed, the issuer would process a replacement. If it has been cashed, unfortunately, the issuer won't process one.

Can I cash money order using apps?

That's a great question. The answer is YES in certain cases.

There are numerous banks that will allow you to cash your money orders. These banks include:

Santander Bank

Wells Fargo

TD Bank

Chase Bank

On the other hand, some banks don't have that feature and advise that the money order be cashed in the bank. These banks include:

Bank of America

PNC Bank

Ally Bank

Regions Bank

What are other places that don't cash money orders?

To make it easier for you to determine the places where you can't cash your money order, I compiled a list of those places that don't cash money orders. They do sell or issue money orders though.

Allan is a recognized personal finance expert, a Level II Certified Cost Estimator, and founder of The Practical Saver. His expertise has been featured in Business Insider, MSN, U.S. News and World Report, Yahoo Finance, NerdWallet, GoBankingRates, AOL Finance, CreditCards.com, HuffPost, Debt.com, Zillow, and Mass Mutual. He was indebted for $40K but paid it all off and saved $70K, at the same time, in 2.5 years under one low income of $39K/year. Now, he enjoys sharing his thoughts and experience on saving money, making money, paying off debt, and budgeting. Read more

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About Allan Liwanag

Allan is a recognized personal finance expert and founder of The Practical Saver. He paid off his $40K and saved $70K, at the same, in 2.5 years under $39K/year salary.

His expertise has been featured in Business Insider, MSN, U.S. News and World Report, Yahoo Finance, NerdWallet, GoBankingRates, AOL Finance, CreditCards.com, HuffPost, Debt.com, Zillow, Mass Mutual, and various local media outlets. Read more

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I am Allan Liwanag – The Master of Practicality. My family was indebted for $40K in 2013. Five years forward, we have saved more than $400K. We did that with trick-less, simple, effective money management that most people tend to overlook.